Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Canadian Association of Law Libraries Urges Reconsideration of LAC Code of Conduct

Earlier this month, it was revealed that Library and Archives Canada (LAC) management was proposing a new code of conduct, a move that sparked a lot of controversy and some apprehension that information professionals were perhaps being muzzled at one of Canada's most important national cultural heritage institutions at a time when it is facing cutbacks and a change in its service mix.

In particular, many objections were made to the description of traditional public engagements such as teaching and going to librarian and archivist conferences as potentially "high risk activities" that may pose a problem under the code's provisions.

"As Canada's National Library, LAC and its professionals are expected
to provide leadership and vision in information management for our
profession. The Code of Conduct diminishes this essential role. By going
above and beyond the normal requirements of the public service code Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector,
the LAC Code of Conduct restricts the free expression of LAC employees,
and their ability to engage as leaders in our profession. The Code in
its current form categorizes teaching and speaking at conferences as 'high risk' and unreasonably restricts such activities. "

"The Code is particularly noteworthy in light of the fact that LAC has
been under scrutiny in recent years for a series of decisions which has
significantly eroded the services it provides. Public scrutiny is
essential in a democracy; taxpayers demand transparent and accountable
decision-making. If decisions cannot withstand public scrutiny, then
they must be re-examined to ensure that they are meeting the
expectations of stakeholders and taxpayers. Restricting the free
expression of LAC librarians is not an appropriate solution."

September 2012 Campaign Update of Save Library and Archives Canada (September 27, 2012): "The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) launched a
campaign this year called Save Library and Archives Canada (LAC) because
of its fear that recent federal budget cuts would hamper the
institution's many collections and activities.
The campaign has just published a September 2012 Campaign Update (...)"

Library and Archives Canada Terminates Inter-Library Loan Service
(October 31, 2012): "The CLA Govt Library & Professionals Network,
part of the Canadian Library Association, has published an announcement
from Library and Archives Canada (LAC) that the institution is putting
an end to its inter-library loan service in the next few weeks.
The LAC's service has been an indispensable tool nationwide for
researchers and libraries. "

CLA Member Advocacy Survey: The Impact of Federal Budget Cuts on Canada’s Libraries
(December 15, 2012): "The Canadian Library Association (CLA) has
released the results of its survey on the impact of federal budget cuts(...)More than 400
individuals provided detailed responses to the survey questions. They
overwhelmingly agreed that the cuts will impact both local and national
library services, with 98% of respondents indicating concern. Areas most
likely to be affected were identified, and include: access to
material/information, research, interlibrary loans, Community Access
Program, preservation, staffing cuts, digital issues."

Disclaimer

Neither the content nor the views contained in this blog represent the positions of my employer or of any association to which I belong. Any links to a news article, an academic study or another blog post should not be considered to indicate any form of endorsement on my part or on that of my institution. This is a purely personal blog for the purposes of sharing information about library issues and legal research.